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Astrophysics Missions (50)

Senior Review of Operating Missions

The exploration into the origins of our solar system ... of our very existence, requires the development of complex space missions.

Report of the 2008 Senior Review of the Astrophysics Division Operating Missions

Exciting Science Near the Edge of Space

*Sort missions by clicking Launch Date, A-Z, or PHASE column headers.

A-Z	Launch Date	Phase
ASCA ASCA was the first X-ray astronomy mission to combine imaging capability with a broad pass band, good spectral resolution, and a large effective area. The mission was also...	19930220 February 20, 1993	Past
Astro Observatory (ASTRO 1 & 2) The "Astro Observatory" was developed as a system of telescopes that could fly multiple times on the space shuttle....	19901202 December 02, 1990	Past
BBXRT The Broad Band X-ray Telescope (BBXRT) was the first focusing X-ray telescope to operate over a broad energy range (0.3-12 keV) with moderate energy resolution. BBXRT was...	19901202 December 02, 1990	Past
CGRO Compton Gamma Ray Observatory mission studied very energetic celestial phenomena: solar flares, cosmic gamma-ray bursts, pulsars, nova and supernova explosions, accreting...	19910405 April 05, 1991	Past
Chandra Chandra explores the hot turbulent regions in space with images 25 times sharper than previous x-ray pictures. Chandra is performing detailed studies of black holes,...	19990724 July 23, 1999	Operating
CHIPS CHIPS uses an extreme ultraviolet spectrograph to study the "Local Bubble," a tenuous cloud of hot gas surrounding our Solar System that extends about 300 light-years from...	20030112 January 12, 2003	Past
COBE The COBE satellite was developed to measure the diffuse infrared and microwave radiation from the early universe, to the limits set by our astrophysical...	19891118 November 18, 1989	Past
DXS The primary objective of the Diffuse X-ray Spectrometer (DXS) payload was to obtain measurements on the diffuse soft X-ray background radiation in the Milky Way Galaxy. DXS...	19930113 January 13, 1993	Past
EUVE The Extreme-Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) was a part of NASA's Explorer spacecraft series, and designed to operate in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) range of the spectrum, from...	19920607 June 07, 1992	Past
Fermi Fermi, NASA's new gamma-ray observatory, will open a wide window on the universe. Gamma rays are the highest-energy form of light, and the gamma-ray sky is spectacularly...	20080611 20:00:00 USEastern June 11, 2008	Operating
FUSE Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) studies the far ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum from high orbit. This range provides an opportunity to...	19990625 June 24, 1999	Past
GALEX Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)  is exploring the origin and evolution of galaxies and the origins of stars and heavy elements, and is also conducting an all-sky...	20030429 April 28, 2003	Operating
Gravity Probe B (GPB) The GP-B satellite was designed as a pristine, space-borne laboratory, whose primary task was to use four ultra-precise gyroscopes to measure directly two effects predicted...	20040420 April 20, 2004	Past
HALCA HALCA is a spacecraft with a radio telescope in orbit to co-observe astronomical objects with radio telescopes on Earth. The project synthesizes a radio telescope as large as...	19970212 February 12, 1997	Past
Herschel The Herschel Space Observatory is a space-based telescope that will study the Universe by the light of the far-infrared and submillimeter portions of the spectrum. It is...	20090514 19:00:00 USEastern May 14, 2009	Operating
HETE-2 The High Energy Transient Explorer is a small scientific satellite designed to detect and localize gamma-ray bursts. ...	20001009 20:00:00 GMT-4 October 09, 2000	Past
Hipparcos Hipparcos was a European Space Agency mission dedicated to the precise measurement of the positions, parallaxes and proper motions of the stars....	19890808 August 08, 1989	Past
Hubble Space Telescope Hubble Space Telescope (HST), an ultraviolet, visible and infrared orbiting telescope, has expanded our understanding of star birth, star death, and galaxy evolution, and has...	19900425 April 24, 1990	Operating
IEH-3 Seven experiments made up the IEH-3 payload on the STS-95 Space Shuttle mission. The seven hitchhiker experiments were attached to a carrier system in the bay of the Shuttle...	19981029 October 29, 1998	Past
INTEGRAL International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) seeks to unravel the secrets of the highest-energy - and therefore the most violent - phenomena in the Universe....	20021018 October 17, 2002	Operating
ISO The Infrared Space Observatory (ISO), a project of the European Space Agency (ESA), provided astronomers with a unique facility of unprecedented sensitivity for a detailed...	19951117 November 17, 1995	Past
IUE The International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) satellite launched in 1978 and was a unique space observatory in that it was operated like a ground-based observatory....	19780126 January 26, 1978	Past
IXO International X-ray Observatory (IXO) has been designed to perform X-ray spectroscopy with unprecedented sensitivity and spectral resolution, to determine the flow of gas in...		Under Study
JDEM NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy will support a probe to investigate dark energy, the Joint Dark Energy Mission (JDEM). The Joint Dark Energy Mission will be an...		Under Study
JWST James Webb Space Telescope (formerly the Next Generation Space Telescope) is designed for observations in the far visible to the mid infrared part of the spectrum. JWST will...	20140601 20:00:00 USEastern June 01, 2014	Development
KAO The Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) is a national facility operated by NASA to support research in infrared astronomy. The observation platform is a highly modified C-141A...	19750521 May 21, 1975	Past
Keck Interferometer The Keck Interferometer is part of NASA's overall effort to find planets and ultimately life beyond our solar system. It combines the light from the twin Keck telescopes to ...		Operating
Kepler The Kepler Mission is a space mission specifically designed to detect Earth-size planets around stars in the solar neighborhood of the Galaxy. This mission is part of the...	20090306 22:45:00 USEastern March 06, 2009	Operating
LBTI The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) is part of NASA's overall effort to find planets and ultimately life beyond our solar system. It will combine the light...		Development
Leonid MAC Leonid MAC used two aircraft carrying a variety of instruments to examine the particles from the comet Tempel -Tuttle as well as the impact of these on the upper...	19981117 November 17, 1998	Past
LISA The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is a space-based observatory that will allow us to view the Universe in a new spectrum, that of gravitational radiation. This...		Under Study
NuSTAR The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array is a pathfinder mission that will open the high energy X-ray sky for sensitive study for the first time. This mission is part of...	20110815 August 15, 2011	Development
OAO The Orbiting Astronomical Observatory (OAO) was a series of four satellites launched by NASA between 1966 and 1972....		Past
ORFEUS-SPAS II ORFEUS-SPAS II mission conducted investigations of celestial sources in the far and extreme ultraviolet spectral range, and to increase understanding of the evolution of...	19961120 November 20, 1996	Past
Planck Planck is designed to image minor variations in the Cosmic Background Radiation over the whole sky, with unprecedented sensitivity and angular resolution. Planck will provide...	20090514 19:00:00 USEastern May 14, 2009	Operating
ROSAT The ROentgen SATellite, was an X-ray observatory developed through a cooperative program between the Germany, the United States, and the United...	19900601 June 01, 1990	Past
RXTE Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer studies variability over time in the emission of X-ray sources, with moderate spectral resolution. This time behavior is a source of important...	19951231 December 30, 1995	Operating
SAC-B Satelite de Aplicaciones Cientificas-B was designed to advance the study of solar physics and astrophysics through the examination of solar flares, gamma ray bursts, diffuse...	19961104 November 04, 1996	Past
SIM SIM PlanetQuest (formerly called Space Interferometry Mission), will determine the positions of stars and planets several hundred times more accurately than any previous...	20141015 TBD	Under Study
SOFIA SOFIA is an airborne observatory that will study the universe in the infrared spectrum. This mission is part of SMD's Cosmic Origins...	20100330 20:00:00 USEastern TBD	Development
Spitzer Spitzer Space Telescope (formerly known as SIRTF) conducts infrared astronomy from space. From an unusual heliocentric orbit designed to keep its sensitive instruments away...	20030826 August 25, 2003	Operating
ST7 Space Technology 7 project will flight test a Disturbance Reduction System (DRS) that will aid scientists in their quest to detect and measure gravitational waves in...	20091202 December 01, 2009	Development
Suzaku (Astro-E2) Suzaku (formerly Astro-E2) provides powerful tools to use the Universe as a laboratory for unraveling complex, high-energy processes and the behavior of matter under extreme...	20050710 July 10, 2005	Operating
SWAS The Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) instrument is a submillimeter wave telescope that incorporates dual heterodyne radiometers and an acousto-optical...	19981206 December 06, 1998	Past
Swift Swift Gamma Ray Burst Explorer is a three-telescope space observatory for studying the position, brightness, and physical properties of gamma ray bursts. Although gamma ray...	20041121 November 20, 2004	Operating
TPF Terrestrial Planet Finder observatories will study the particular characteristics of many planets outside our solar system: from their formation and development in disks of...		Under Study
WIRE The Wide-field Infrared Explorer (WIRE) is a Small Explorer Mission designed to study the evolution of starburst galaxies and search for distant ultra-luminous...	19990304 March 04, 1999	Past
WISE WISE is a NASA-funded scientific research project that will provide a vast storehouse of knowledge about the solar system, the Milky Way, and the Universe. Among the objects...	20091214 19:00:00 USEastern December 14, 2009	Operating
WMAP Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP)  produced the earliest “baby picture” of the universe, showing the minute temperature variations within the microwave light...	20010701 June 30, 2001	Operating
XMM-Newton XMM-Newton is an X-ray astrophysics observatory that enables astronomers to conduct sensitive X-ray spectroscopic observations of a wide variety of cosmic sources. This...	19991211 December 10, 1999	Operating